Depleted and A Vintage Death occupy similar spaces in the doom metal spectrum -- both are one-man projects, and both push doom into more extreme territory. But the upcoming split from the international pair shows the wide range of possibilities within death/doom.
First is Depleted from Portland, OR, helmed by Matt Sullivan of Evaporated Sores, Maltheist and Red Boiling Springs. In two prior demos on Nailbat Tapes and GreySun Records, Depleted melded death/doom with harsh noise, but the funeral doom influences are more apparent on the epic "Wreckage," with mournful melodies skirting a scorched earth.
A Vintage Death is the brainchild of Carmine d'Annibale (Rising Moon, ex-Condanna) from Ortona, Italy. Taking the sorrowful approach of the Peaceville Three, A Vintage Death melds regal death/doom with abrasive black metal. Taking the template set on the Acrid Death Fragrance EP, d'Annibale further distills this extreme metal amalgam across two connected tracks: "Piangimorti I" and "Piangimorti II.
Physical cassettes from Nailbat Tape, with a later release by Infernal South Productions in South America.